Publisher's Synopsis
This is a book about Bolivar and the South American wars of independence. Perhaps, for the English reader it represents the best opportunity to discover a totally New World unknown to him. I believe the best synthesis of Bolivar's life and works are in what the BBC of London said of him: Bolívar is without a doubt one of the most important warriors and speakers in the world. On August 11, 2012 the BBC in London nominated him as the most prominent American of the XIX century. -The prestigious news network says of him: "At just 47 years old, he fought 472 battles, being defeated only 6 times, he participated in 79 great battles, with the great risk of dying in 25 of them. He freed 6 nations, rode 123 thousand kilometres, more than the one sailed by Colón and Vasco de Gama combined. He was Head of State of 5 nations, he rode with the torch of freedom the linear distance of 16,500 kilometres, that distance is approximately half a return to earth. He travelled 10 times more than Hannibal, 3 times more than Napoleon, and twice as much as Alexander the Great. His ideas of freedom were written in 92 proclamations and 2,632 letters. The most incredible thing was that many of them were dictated simultaneously and in different languages to different secretaries. The army he commanded never conquered ... He only liberated".Gabriel Giraldo Jaramillo S.J. He affirms: "Bolívar is the father of continental solidarity. His dream of a united (South) America is beginning to take shape, in the midst of a bloody birth of different ideas, men and hopes, but with an ideal that is beginning to emerge clearly in the minds of everyone. ...".On May 8, 1830, Bolívar left Bogotá hoping to return to Europe and dedicate himself there to writing his memoirs. Accompanied by a group of friends and politicians, with 17,000 pesos, a considerable sum for that time, as a result of the sale of his silverware, jewelry and horses, he embarked on a painful and slow journey through the Magdalena River and finally arrived in Cartagena. But his illness forced him to go to Santa Marta, where the Spanish Joaquín de Mier y Benítez lent him his house in San Pedro Alejandrino. Bolívar, -counts Waldo Frank-, was not willing to die and thought about recovering as soon as he arrived at the San Pedro hacienda, where sugar cane was cultivated and processed, but Doctor Reverend hinted at the gravity of his situation, until he finally reluctantly agreed to settle his affairs with Providence by confessing, receiving the holy oils and making his will. Bolívar had been granted by Congress with the amount of 30,000 pesos per year for his living expenses. It is interesting to keep these sums in mind. Twenty years after his death, 200 hectares of the San Pedro Alejandrino hacienda were sold for an equal amount.This, and much more it's contained in this book. Amazing battles, treasons, love, disappointments, victories, attempts against his life, hopes, and the idea of reinventing a continent born out of his own creativity and audacity.
